Sounds gorgeous! A jumper of that vintage will NOT be shrinkproofed, so machine washing and drying is out of the question. Hand wash only in lux flakes or a very gentle wool wash (half strength) in lukewarm water. Rinse well twice in lukewarm water. Roll in a towel and press out excess moisture, and dry flat in the shade. Patting it into shape on a dry towel helps it keep its shape while drying. If it warps a bit, pin into place on the towel just like blocking a handknitted piece before assembly.
A teaspoonful of miscible eucalyptus or lavender oil in the second rinse water will help to keep moths away. Fortunately it may only need washing occasionally - wearing a shirt underneath will do a lot to keep it clean.
Mending is best done with darning wool if you can find any and if you can’t then embroidery/tapestry wool is probably the next best choice. You might like to reinforce cuffs and collar on the reverse side with a split strand of matching wool a few millimetres in from the edge to help stop fraying. Wool lasts very well when cared for, but can get a bit fragile at the edges when those edges are stretched. If there’s a ribbed edge, then both top and bottom of the ribbed section benefit from that extra strand of wool - does a lot to help it keep its shape while still allowing it to stretch appropriately.
Sounds gorgeous! A jumper of that vintage will NOT be shrinkproofed, so machine washing and drying is out of the question. Hand wash only in lux flakes or a very gentle wool wash (half strength) in lukewarm water. Rinse well twice in lukewarm water. Roll in a towel and press out excess moisture, and dry flat in the shade. Patting it into shape on a dry towel helps it keep its shape while drying. If it warps a bit, pin into place on the towel just like blocking a handknitted piece before assembly.
A teaspoonful of miscible eucalyptus or lavender oil in the second rinse water will help to keep moths away. Fortunately it may only need washing occasionally - wearing a shirt underneath will do a lot to keep it clean.
Mending is best done with darning wool if you can find any and if you can’t then embroidery/tapestry wool is probably the next best choice. You might like to reinforce cuffs and collar on the reverse side with a split strand of matching wool a few millimetres in from the edge to help stop fraying. Wool lasts very well when cared for, but can get a bit fragile at the edges when those edges are stretched. If there’s a ribbed edge, then both top and bottom of the ribbed section benefit from that extra strand of wool - does a lot to help it keep its shape while still allowing it to stretch appropriately.
This takes me back to my high school years and maintaining my wool jumpers.
Every tip here is spot on.
Yes. Thank you. 😘, some embroidery crewel wool sounds like a good idea.
The wool and fabric itself is beautiful quality but the garment isn’t fully fashioned, it’s sewn. Still worth mending I think.
My machine has a special handwash cycle. It’s quite convenient.